FCC Awards an Additional $42.16 Million to COVID-19 Telehealth Program Providers

The Federal Communications Commission approved an additional 75 applications for funding commitments totaling $42,163,705 for Round 2 of its COVID-19 Telehealth Program. This is the FCC’s fourth funding announcement of approved Round 2 applications, bringing the total to approximately $166.13 million awarded to health care providers in each state, territory, and the District of Columbia, and completing the first phase of Round 2 of the Program. As outlined in the Round 2 Report and Order, now that $150 million has been allotted, the FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau issued a Public Notice announcing an opportunity for all remaining applicants to supplement their applications, as required by Congress. Remaining applicants will have 10 days to supplement their applications. After all remaining applicants have the opportunity to supplement, the remaining program funding will be committed.

Below is a list of health care providers that were approved for funding:

• Adler Community Health Services in Chicago, Illinois was awarded $359,836 to expand its behavioral telehealth program by purchasing laptops with mobile data and upgrading to remote voice services to assist physicians working with patients outside the hospital, and to improve its wireless coverage and network connectivity to support its telehealth capabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Adult & Child Mental Health Center in Indianapolis, Indiana was awarded $516,208 for laptops, tablets, hot spots, a telehealth platform, and remote patient monitoring devices, such as glucometers, otoscopes, stethoscopes, and blood pressure monitors, to allow providers to treat patients remotely and directly in the community - from homeless shelters to schools - and to support treatment not only of COVID-19, but also high blood pressure, diabetes, and chronic respiratory issues, among others.
• Advantage Behavioral Health Systems, which serves 10 counties in northeast Georgia was awarded $222,406 to purchase laptops, webcams, and other video conferencing equipment to upgrade connectivity services for extra network security and network capabilities, and to enable community outreach workers to safely provide services to patients with persistent mental health and substance use disorders.
• Albany Medical Center in Albany, New York was awarded $810,801 to enhance their telemedicine program with tablets, computer stations, telemedicine carts and remote patient visit capabilities and monitoring software, to help them better serve COVID-19 patients and other high-risk patients located in rural areas.
• Ammonoosuc Community Health Services in Littleton, New Hampshire was awarded $332,854 to purchase connected devices, including thermometers and glucometers, which will increase access to remote care for patients.
• Aspire Indiana in Noblesville, Indiana, a Federally Qualified Health Center serving central Indiana, was awarded $211,861 for laptops, computers, docking stations, monitors, keyboards, webcams, and upgraded network infrastructure to create offices for physicians to perform virtual appointments with patients who are hesitant to receive in-person care and risk exposure to COVID-19.
• Astor Services for Children and Families in the Bronx, New York was awarded $344,119 for laptops, software, and fixed and cellular broadband and voice services to serve patients via telehealth, limiting the risk of COVID-19 exposure for both providers and patients.
• Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri was awarded $996,722 for home monitoring devices, tablets, security and telehealth software and licenses, a telemedicine cart, and other connected devices to enable their providers to deliver high-quality specialized services to patients that are geographically distant, and support high-risk patients with at-home tools to monitor their health conditions.
• Los Barrios Unidos Community Clinic in Dallas, Texas was awarded $951,800 for devices, including tablets and telehealth software, that enable video and voice consultations with medical providers, as well as connected peripherals that can assist offsite physicians with diagnoses.
• Bay Area Community Health (BACH), a Federally Qualified Health Center, in Fremont, California was awarded $960,436 for devices, such as cell phones, desktop computers, monitors, laptops, peripheral connected devices, video conferencing and telehealth software, and broadband internet and voice services, which allow providers to directly connect with patients via telehealth appointments, particularly for a patient population that includes those experiencing homelessness, people with HIV/AIDS, transgender individuals, and other medically underserved populations.
• Billings Area Office Indian Health Service in Billings, Montana was awarded $1,000,000 to purchase tablets, remote patient monitoring blood pressure kits, and internet service to improve patient access to telehealth services, monitor high-risk patients, and reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19.
• Bluebonnet Trails Community Services, in Austin, Texas was awarded $724,411 to purchase laptops, tablets, cell phones, video conferencing and telehealth devices, services, and licenses, and internet and cellular service to facilitate the remote treatment of patients.
• Broad Top Area Medical Center in Broad Top, Pennsylvania was awarded $354,602 for remote patient monitoring devices, including digital blood pressure and glucose monitors to assist patients with disease management, computers and connected devices to enable point-to-point telehealth audio/visual appointments, and a telehealth platform to permit screensharing, document and file-sharing, text messaging appointment reminders, and payment processing.
• Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida was awarded $218,599 for telehealth applications, tablets, and remote monitoring devices that will help to provide continuous care to patients throughout their recovery, as well as improving safety for patients and providers.
• CareSTL Health in St. Louis, Missouri was awarded $386,476 to purchase laptops and telemedicine carts to provide direct patient care and improve patient outcomes.
• Caromont Regional Medical Center in Gastonia, North Carolina was awarded $130,591 for monitors, video conferencing software, and web cameras to expand its telehealth capabilities to limit exposure to COVID-19 for both patients and providers.
• Catholic Health Initiatives in Englewood, Colorado, on behalf of a consortium of health care providers located throughout Arizona, California, Nevada, and Texas, was awarded $1,000,000 to purchase telecommunications services, including network upgrades, needed to provide patient care and telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Centro De Salud Familiar La Fe in El Paso, Texas was awarded $750,948 to purchase laptops and upgraded telecommunications to expand and provide telehealth services to at-risk, underserved communities along the U.S.-Mexico border.
• CGH Medical Center in Sterling, Illinois was awarded $183,015 for tablets and webcams to help providers connect with and treat patients remotely in rural areas.
• CHI Saint Joseph Health System in Lexington, Kentucky was awarded $403,191 for video conferencing equipment, telemedicine carts, and remote patient monitoring devices that will strengthen telehealth capabilities and support virtual medical appointments and treatment.
• The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was awarded $869,672 to purchase connected monitoring devices and mobile devices to establish a program to provide remote care to children who may be at risk for health disparities due to inequitable access to technology.
• Community Health Programs in Great Barrington, Massachusetts was awarded $164,079 to purchase telehealth devices, including remote monitoring devices, that will allow it to serve thousands of patients who would otherwise not have access to care due to significant economic and transportation barriers in the region.
• Duke University Health System in Durham, North Carolina was awarded $955,557 for remote patient monitoring units and connected peripheral equipment to support its telehealth program, along with connected tablets that enable virtual rounding and visitation, telemonitoring equipment, and clinic-based telehealth tools to deliver remote urgent care services in primary care and other settings.
• El Centro del Barrio in San Antonio, Texas was awarded $999,879 for laptops, computer monitors, and other connected devices to support audio/video telehealth services and improve the patient experience in a service area that includes low-income patient populations.
• Elliot Health System in Manchester, New Hampshire was awarded $984,953 for telehealth devices, including tablets, webcams, and headsets, that support the direct care of patients, allowing providers to fulfill clinical services remotely and reduce the demand for personal protective equipment.
• FamilyCare Health Center in Scott Depot, West Virginia was awarded $406,896 to purchase laptops and video conferencing software, as well as to make improvements to its network and network security, in order to provide high quality medical, dental, and behavioral telehealth services to patients who may not be able to reach the locations where the services are provided.
• Fort Defiance Indian Hospital Board in Fort Defiance, Arizona was awarded $244,614 to provide mobile telehealth services to its local community, including wireless network connections for health care providers to improve communication with patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Highlands Health: Laurel Highlands Free & Charitable Medical Clinic in Johnstown, PA was awarded $198,530 to purchase laptops, headsets, and telemedicine software to assist with the provision of telehealth to rural communities throughout Pennsylvania and Maryland.
• Honor Community Health in Pontiac, Michigan was awarded $693,990 for remote devices, including tablets, blood pressure monitors, and glucose monitors, and a telehealth platform that will improve access to remote care for patients and allow providers to safely deliver healthcare to a patient population that frequently experiences transportation challenges.
• Horizon Health Center in Jersey City, New Jersey was awarded $74,100 to purchase connected monitoring devices that will be utilized to provide telehealth monitoring services to patients, many of whom are part of high-risk populations that include low-income senior citizens, people with disabilities, or those who may be experiencing homelessness.
• Intermountain Centers for Human Development in Tucson, Arizona was awarded $183,393 for laptops and a telehealth platform to ensure that patients, including those in rural and Native communities, have access to technology to receive essential remote care.
• Kirkland Village in Dillsburg, Pennsylvania was awarded $1,000,000 for equipment to support social distancing guidelines and allow remote clinicians to work with point-of-care staff to examine, diagnose, and treat patients across 12 skilled nursing homes.
• Konza Prairie Community Health Center in Junction City, Kansas was awarded $488,176 for remote patient monitoring devices, including blood pressure monitors and oximeters, connected webcams, and updated telephones to improve telehealth services and continue to provide critical care in a rural, low-income, health care provider shortage area.
• Lakewood Resource and Referral Center in Lakewood, New Jersey was awarded $999,010 to purchase tablets and remote monitoring devices that enable comprehensive exams and allow patients to receive medical care without requiring an in-person visit, helping to reduce COVID-19 exposure and supporting the low-income patients that comprise many of those that Lakewood serves.
• LifeStream Behavioral Center in Leesburg, Florida was awarded $338,100 to purchase equipment, including monitors and laptops, to enhance and expand its telehealth offerings and increase its health care capacity by over 40% to more effectively reach rural and low-income populations.
• Louisiana Independent Hospital Network Coalition in Baton Rouge, Louisiana was awarded $452,758, to purchase equipment, including tablets, to provide telehealth services to patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Maricopa County Special Health Care District in Phoenix, Arizona was awarded $975,530 to purchase telehealth devices, including tablets, laptops, cameras, and blood pressure monitors, to provide care to the medically underserved and low-income populations in their area.
• University of Maryland Medical System in Baltimore, Maryland was awarded $795,146 for the purchase of tablets and telehealth software to support remote patient monitoring to provide telehealth care during the pandemic.
• Memorial Hospital of South Bend in South Bend, Indiana was awarded $116,571 to purchase telemedicine carts, biometric remote monitoring equipment, and wireless internet services to increase connectivity for telehealth applications in order to limit the spread of COVID-19.
• Methodist Hospitals - Northlake in Gary, Indiana was awarded $1,000,000 for COVID-19 infection control software which will quickly and efficiently analyze COVID tests and provide diagnoses, handheld devices, and remote patient monitoring systems, which will enable the hospital to monitor vulnerable patients at home without putting them at risk from a trip to the hospital.
• MidMichigan Health in Midland, Michigan was awarded $765,175 for equipment such as tablets, telemedicine carts, and telehealth software to expand their telehealth capabilities and to provide physical and mental health services to patients with and without COVID-19 in its 23-county service area.
• Mid-State Health Center in Plymouth, New Hampshire was awarded $198,662 to purchase connected devices and computers to expand its telehealth services for medical, behavioral health, and substance use disorder treatment, which will make these critical services safe and easily accessible for vulnerable populations that often experience barriers to care.
• Mountain Health and Wellness in Apache Junction, Arizona was awarded $920,385 for network switches, enhanced server capacity, telemedicine carts, and mobile workstations, which will help to contain the spread of COVID infections and allow patients to remotely manage their routine care.
• Mountain Park Health Center in Phoenix, Arizona was awarded $165,844 to purchase devices with integrated video conferencing and whiteboard capabilities that will enable patients to remotely connect with clinicians of varying specialties throughout the clinic's network
• Munson Healthcare in Traverse City, Michigan was awarded $485,407 to purchase tablets, laptops, telehealth carts, and specialized telehealth exam equipment to help residents in rural communities access primary care services safely and remotely.
• Native American Community Health Center in Phoenix, Arizona was awarded $416,006 to purchase laptops, monitors, and communications software to improve its telehealth capability and communications infrastructure at its community health centers to serve a population that was one of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Nemours Children's Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida was awarded $904,048 for telemedicine carts that allow providers to deliver care in areas where specialists are limited, to purchase diagnostic peripheral devices for physicians to remotely monitor the patient, and to obtain tablets for both patient and provider use to support social distancing while still delivering care to an at-risk service population.
• North Mississippi Medical Center - Tupelo in Tupelo, Mississippi was awarded $1,000,000 for remote patient monitoring devices and equipment to expand telehealth services, including secure video conferencing software, monitors, and web cameras.
• North Valley Hospital in Tonasket, Washington was awarded $92,591 to improve the total connectivity and capacity of its network and to purchase several devices, including tablets and headsets, that will allow for fluid and effective tele-treatment and remote triage.
• Northern Lakes Community Mental Health in Gaylord, Michigan was awarded $404,812 to purchase telehealth equipment, including laptops, tablets, and headsets, to address the growing need for mental health services throughout the pandemic, and to expand its capacity to provide safe, continuous care to patients.
• Norton Healthcare in Louisville, Kentucky was awarded $964,576 for web cameras and tablets to support telehealth expansion and give providers flexibility to provide primary care, specialty care, and mental health care remotely in a Medically Underserved Area during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Ochsner Medical Center, as part of a system of hospitals throughout Louisiana, was awarded $999,996 for connected device kits containing connected scales, blood pressure monitors, and glucometers, that support remote patient monitoring to deliver care to high-risk patients in a rural area that was among some of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Ossining Open Door in Ossining, New York was awarded $426,039 for the expansion of virtual patient care by purchasing tablets, laptops, and headsets which help clinicians provide critical care while limiting community virus transmission.
• Professional Care Services of West Tennessee in Covington, Tennessee was awarded $195,953 to purchase mobile devices and cellular data coverage to reduce gaps in care to priority groups, and telehealth software which will allow for the effective provision of mental health care.
• Project Vida Health Center in El Paso, Texas was awarded $384,159 for remote monitoring devices, computers, and a telehealth platform that will allow providers to conduct medical exams and receive patient data remotely and securely, which will help patients in hard-to-reach and high-risk populations receive care and reduce unnecessary hospital and emergency room visits.
• Red Lake Hospital in Red Lake, Minnesota, located on the Red Lake Indian Reservation, was awarded $291,148 to purchase laptops, telemedicine carts, and peripherals to expand its capacity to treat and manage COVID-19 positive patients, while reducing the risk of transmission.
• Scheurer Hospital in Pigeon, Michigan was awarded $161,488 for remote patient monitoring devices and telemedicine software to care for patients in the surrounding rural communities, which will enable patients to report health information to providers without requiring in-person visits to hospitals, emergency departments, or other provider facilities.
• Shawnee Christian Healthcare Center in Louisville, Kentucky was awarded $320,808 to purchase telehealth carts and connected devices, including stethoscopes, which will facilitate telemedicine services at sites that are currently unable to offer them.
• Sisters of Charity in Buffalo, New York was awarded $955,102 for devices that support the direct treatment of COVID-19 patients in acute care hospitals and in nursing homes, enabling telemonitoring of patient vital signs, remote consultations with specialists, and a reduction of the demand for personal protective equipment.
• Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield, Illinois was awarded $967,430 to purchase computers, webcams, headsets, and other telehealth devices to provide patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic and upgrade their existing telehealth equipment.
• St. Croix Regional Medical Center in St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin was awarded $437,475 for remote patient monitoring devices, including connected scales, blood pressure cuffs, pulse oximeters, and glucose monitors to deliver remote care to rural patients, reduce the strain on emergency departments and hospitals, and free resources for the prevention and management of COVID-19.
• St. Joseph Mercy Oakland in Livonia, Michigan was awarded $306,927 for tablets and other connected devices to monitor patients that have tested positive for COVID-19, and for use by clinicians to both test for COVID-19 and support vaccination clinics.
• Sunset Park Health Center at NYU Langone in Brooklyn, New York, a Federally Qualified Health Center, was awarded $1,000,000 to purchase a remote patient monitoring platform and support in-home patient monitoring devices to serve a diverse patient population during the pandemic.
• Tampa Family Health Centers in Tampa, Florida was awarded $657,250 for telehealth carts and other telemedicine peripherals, including devices that measure vital signs and general exam cameras, to allow providers to conduct complete diagnostic visits remotely for an at-risk patient population.
• TCA Health in Chicago, Illinois was awarded $99,574 to purchase a variety of devices, including web-based and mobile applications to upload information, laptops to conduct telehealth appointments, and tablets for patient use, which will allow providers to remotely care for and monitor patient health.
• University Medical Center Management Corporation in New Orleans, Louisiana was awarded $996,376 for Bluetooth connected devices such as blood pressure cuffs and pulse oximeters to conduct remote patient monitoring for pediatric patients at a higher risk of negative health outcomes due to COVID-19.
• Valle del Sol in Phoenix, Arizona was awarded $383,959 for remote monitoring devices that will allow providers to connect at home with patients, many of whom have comorbidities that put them at significant risk of COVID-19, in addition to tablets that will be used by patients for remote diagnostic services.
• Valley Health in Winchester, Virginia was awarded $1,000,000 to create a digital health network, via the purchase of computers, tablets, and telehealth software, that expands access to care and enables tertiary medical center providers to deliver virtual care to the rural hospitals in the system, thereby reducing the amount of travel for patients and decreasing exposure to COVID-19.
• The Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey Community Health Center in Asbury Park, New Jersey was awarded $204,808 for connected devices, including laptops and tablets, to provide virtual, direct patient care and reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19.
• Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri was awarded $737,109 to purchase laptop computers, webcams, and headsets to deliver telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The Wright Center Medical Group in Scranton, Pennsylvania was awarded $491,814 to purchase laptops and telehealth software which will allow for the delivery of timely patient care via telehealth.
• Yakutat Community Health Center in Yakutat, Alaska was awarded $454,343 to purchase devices, including laptops and tablets, and enhance its telemedicine services to provide underserved and low-income patients in the Yakutat area access to a variety of healthcare services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• York County Community Action in Sandford, Maine was awarded $346,506 to purchase tablets and telehealth software to increase the capacity of its telehealth program, integrate the program with its traditional outpatient model, improve access to care by reducing transportation barriers within a highly rural county, and decrease overall cost to the healthcare system by treating patient conditions in the most appropriate clinical setting.
• Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation in Bethel, Alaska was awarded $520,597 for telehealth devices, including new network hardware, software, and wireless access points, to expand telehealth capabilities that are integral to successful patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Zufall Health Center in Dover, New Jersey was awarded $707,508 to purchase laptops, tablets, and remote monitoring devices to provide telemedicine services to underserved patients in northwestern and central New Jersey.